Public Helps With Ed Tech Plan

DOE officials are currently sifting through some 270 responses to a request for public input in shaping the plan, and a handful of suggestions will likely be included in the final report.

The public recommendations—which came from teachers, librarians, and superintendents, as well as the American Association of School Librarians and the International Society for Technology in Education—"pointed us in some directions that we initially weren't thinking about," says John Bailey, director for the department's office of educational technology, which was given the mandate to draft the new report under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Based on the public commentary, Bailey says the DOE now recognizes two more priorities for an effective National Education Technology Plan: leadership at the superintendent level to ensure that technology is being used effectively and the need to purchase assistive technologies for students with disabilities.

What else can educators expect from the report? New budgeting models to help make laptops more affordable for schools, ways to integrate technology into curriculums, and the importance of virtual schools, distance learning, and data-driven decision making. Professional development is also high on the agenda. "It's not enough to just throw computers inside of a classroom or library and expect that people will know how to use them," Bailey says. "What this plan is going to be focusing on is how do we start taking advantage of [Internet] access and start linking it to real challenges teachers are facing and real opportunities that can best serve students."

The latest technology plan will differ from two previous versions in that it will emphasize accountability and the requirements of NCLB. "We're going to acknowledge how this new educational environment demands not just reinforcement of the old way of providing education, but also explore some new models in which education can be more customized and personalized for students while enabling accountability," Bailey says.

While the first round of public commentary focused on identifying the most pressing issues facing technology in schools, another round in the coming months will ask for specific recommendations for dealing with those challenges. "We'll be digging down to the granular level, looking at ways that certain policies and regulations are barriers to this type of instructional approach [to technology]," Bailey says.

For the first time, students will play a huge role in crafting the education technology plan. The DOE will hold national focus groups to collect demographic data on students, including their expectations of instruction and education and how they differ from previous generations. "Then we'll look at the school system that needs to be designed to respond to those expressed needs," Bailey says.

The new tech plan is not mandatory, but is meant to lay out concrete guidelines on how technology can best enhance education. It will be presented to Congress in the spring of 2004 and then distributed to state governments. For more information on the plan, visit www.nationaledtechplan.org.